5 things you need to know about Eminem

American rapper Eminem – aka Slim Shady – hits Cape Town on 26 Feb and Joburg on 1 March for his first-ever tour to SA! Here are some interesting facts about the 41-year-old rapper:

1 Before he became a rapper, Eminem dreamt of being a comic book artist. No wonder so many of his music videos feature animated clips! But he had a change of heart after he heard Ice-T’s track Reckless when he was nine. Years later Eminem and his alter ego Slim Shady were born.

3 He can cook! Before his rapping career took off, he cooked and washed dishes at a restaurant in St Clair Shores, Michigan.

4 Eminem turned down the lead role in South African-born film director Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi flick Elysium. The role went to Matt Damon.

5 Eminem once nearly died of a drug overdose. He’s now clean and doesn’t even have booze on his backstage rider. For his SA shows he requested pickles by premier German brand Gundelsheim, low-fat yoghurt, peanut butter, jumbo shrimps, Swiss mild cheddar cheese and dumbbells.